Hi! This is a short story I wrote in my CP English 11 class last year after we read the Canterbury Tales, and I figure I should publish something that was fully writen because I have not yet. But anyways this our own little pilgrimage to Las Vegas, and the story that I told on the way about a starfish's choices on conforming. Weird combination right? But anyways, onward to the short story!!
-Coral Muessig (:
The wind raged across the blazing desert as the double decker bus full of fellow colleagues zoomed down the road. We were heading to the promise land...well, as promising as Las Vegas can be (on a journey that could almost be paralleled to a pilgrimage) but our reason for this journey held no similarity to an actual pilgrimage. We were in search of a thrilling night out on the strip; one full of laughter and entertainment. But this voyage from Arizona would take a couple days, and we were now in need of a something to pass the time. An idea instantaneously combusted, and before us we were presented a task of telling stories of our liking. This is where the tales begin, and any non-fictional idea flies out the window. The first to start would be a gal called Coral, whose story shall be called the A Tide’s Tale, and from there the group will travel in clockwise order.
In the shallow end of a popular tide pool was site to where the starfish gather; starfish of many vibrant colors, pink, orange, purple, and blue. But far beyond this starfish oasis, lived the starfish not quite of age. But they knew that each one would become of age and soon join the masses. Among these aging youngsters, there was a brilliantly colored starfish named Ellabelle. Ellabelle had only recently became of age to make the journey to the masses, and was preparing herself to leave her “family” forever. As soon as she held confidence in her decision to finally leave as many before had, her thoughts were clouded with doubt.
After many weeks of constant debate, Ellabelle finally made the choice to leave her family that very day. With her close friend Rachel, she left without another word to anyone to avoid any more doubts on this way of life that she was suppose to uphold. Their journey seemed endless, but finally before their horizon they caught a glimpse of their new life. A breathtaking view of the glistening water full of starfishes of every shape, color, and size. Overjoyed with their arrival, Ellabelle quickly made her way to this scene of awe. As she slid her way through the masses, Ellabelle soon came to the center of it all; the center of all that she was taught to desire growing up and all that she would know from now on.
Within weeks Ellabelle’s excitement towards her arrival to this new metropolitan world began to diminish. The doubt that had possessed her before her journey once again clouded her thoughts. The shell of the once perfect fantasy told to her as a child was beginning to be penetrated by a variety of impurities. Her first encounter with these impurities were the vanities that seemed to radiate off of the majority of the starfishes. Over the years, the privilege of being within the popular tide pool had affected the masses, and they now thought themselves of being descents of Queen Elizabeth herself. The next to come was the lying and deceit. Looking around at the many starfishes conversing, Ellabelle felt like her head was about to explode with the numerous lies flying out of their mouths. A simple story or mistake was blown out of proportion, and soon everyone was telling tall tales. The last impurity that made Ellabelle cringe was the absolute selfishness present within the supposed “unified” group; it was all for one, not for all, a situation that Ellabelle herself was neither accustom to nor comfortable with. The old tide pool relied on each other to help support the masses as a whole. Ellabelle was in over her head, and all she now desired was an escape from this madhouse. Knowing that she had already drifted from her friends, making the decision to make the travel back to what she had previously known was quite easy. Upon her arrival to her old tide pool, she was surrounded by a mass of loving, selfless starfishes that held no qualities similar to the popular tide pool’s starfishes.
Soon after Ellabelle returned to her tide pool, they received news that the popular tide pool had faced devastating loss due to a high tide that they weren’t prepared for. When the high tide had hit, their impurities had been their greatest weakness. Their selfishness had left them scrambling for safe ground for themselves, creating epic chaos that left not one starfish standing after the high tide had retracted. Ellabelle realized that she didn’t necessarily had to conform to the traditional way of the tide pool starfishes...
Maybe, it would be best if she followed the path less taken and stayed right where she belonged in her own tide pool.
